The most impressive victory of the Pistons season triples the total of last year

Detroit – Once Tim Hardaway Jr. He arrived in the locker room of Detroit Pistons on Friday, he could no longer keep him.

The veteran had two words: “Hell yes!”

Hardaway was fresh from 32 season points, his best game as a piston, and brought them to a 133-122 victory compared to Cleveland Cavaliers -The best Eastern Conference team (59-15). Has earned Detroit“BTA” honors and honored the belt in the air while his teammates crowded to celebrate him. Rightly, since his team is fifth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 42-32.

While Cunningham falls He lost his third consecutive game due to a contusion of the left vealHe was standing for most of the night to cheer for Hardaway and the rest of the team.

Cunningham has even made a guest appearance during the Post -Hardaway -party press conference. The Cornerstone franchise broke the door of the Ajar medium room and did not even try to contain its smile that she claimed with a proud parent, although Hardaway had 10 years more than 10 years of her counterpart.

“This is a good answer, boy” Cunningham said Hardaway was in the middle of an answer. “Way for the frame.”

TIM Hardaway Jr. had a special guest to stop his Presser Post -Parita to show love: pic.twitter.com/siskvTilsr

– Hunter Patterson (@huntpatterson_) March 29, 2025

All considered, Friday was the most impressive victory of the Pistons of the season. In addition to Cunningham, Tobias Harris It was a late scratch due to the tendinopathy of Achille right. Cunningham and Harris have combined 135 departures this season. But Detroit did not seem to lose a beat without even.

The Pistons limited the knights to 46.4 percent of the field shooting, 37.5 percent of 3 and forced them to 14 turnover that were converted into 17 Points of Detroit.

Hardaway’s 32 points were the maximum he scored since 29 January 2024. His seven made 3 seconds tied his high season and closed with 55.6/63.6/100 Shooting cracks. Seven pistons have scored in double figures and Ausar Thompson, Dennis Schröder AND Jal Double double cut.

Wining like these trusted breeds between players like Hardaway, who could be fundamental for the success of the Detroit playoffs. These are also the types of victories that could strengthen the case of JB Bickerstaff for Coach of the Year. Bickerstaff, in his first season at the helm with the Pistons, tripled the total of Detroit’s victory of 14 from last season to 42 with eight remaining matches.

The pistons are the first team in NBA History to triple his total of victories in seasons of 82 games. THE Charlotte HornetsSo the bobcats went 7-59 in 2011-12, when the season was abbreviated to 66 games due to the blockade, and went 21-61 the following year.

“The way we play is his style, the basketball brand and his attitude,” said Bickerstaff Hardaway after the victory. “He did an extraordinary job in giving the boys that trust, giving the boys that ability to go out there and compete on both the ends of the floor. It doesn’t matter if you make a mistake here or there or more errors in a row, as long as you are competing and you will pass to the next comedy, it is all that it matters.

“And when you have such a coach, and a coach who obviously also communicates to each of his players like him – goes to each of them before the tests, after the tests just to ask how your day is going – who makes a lot of way. We want to go to fight for him. We want to go to war for him, and I feel like if it were what the coach makes him of the year.”

I had to abandon the Thj highlighting coil for you pic.twitter.com/lkjokO2HP

– Detroit Pistons (@DetroTippons) March 29, 2025

Detroit’s struggle to win was obvious, as he helped Bickerstaff in Notch his first victory this season against his former team. Friday’s victory also broke a series of 12 consecutive losses of pistons in Cleveland, dating back to March 19, 2022.

Schröder, Detroit’s commercial pickup, was the main orchestrator of the Pistons performance and had his most complete game since he was in Detroit. He distributed 10 years of 10 years, five going to Hardaway, to follow 17 points and seven tables. Schröder was also a maximum of more-16.

Aside from the numbers, Schröder found a way to solve the pistons offensively every time the knights made a late push. Although Schröder was in Detroit just under two months, it quickly identified what makes this group so able to gather to win the games with appetizers set aside.

“Team chemistry,” Schröder said about the Pistons’ ability to manage adversity. “We like each other inside and off the pitch. We are fighting, we are giving everything we have for another. And coach is doing an excellent job, he is a coach of the year. So, excellent game plan.”

The Bickerstaff gaming plan heavily presented Thompson. The 18 attempts to shoot the second year tied Hardaway for a high team and was also a maximum of career. Thompson recorded 18 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks of game, two thefts and two assists. For usual, Thompson has been able to influence the game in many ways.

Listed on 6 feet 6 with a 7 -foot wing opening, the 22 -year -old flashed the potential to become the most dynamic player of Detroit. Thompson has an average of 16 points with 50 %shooting, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 stolen and 2.0 blocks during its last two games. Thompson’s goal is to support this level of game while the playoffs approach.

“I feel like I had more moments this season to do it,” Thompson said from his locker. “Just to do it constantly and not take a game from doing it, I feel like it is the key to me. Be always aggressive at any time.”

I had to publish another 🤯 🤯 https://t.co/lhuoj9uthm pic.twitter.com/lze7szalj9

– Detroit Pistons (@DetroTippons) March 29, 2025

Thompson’s aggressive nature will be necessary for Pistons they embark on a three -games trip with Cunningham listed on Friday as a day by day. Detroit takes on the Minnesota timberwolves Sunday, Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday e Toronto Raptors on Friday.

The pistons are 1 1/2 games from the fourth seed Indiana Pacers (43-30) and 1 1/2 games in front of the Milwaukee Bucks (40-33), which are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. If the playoffs began on Saturday, Detroit would be combined with his old rival in the pacer. But so many things can change compared to the last eight Pistons matches that it is difficult to feed in the early and hypothetical post -stampups.

Bickerstaff and its unit are more concentrated on continuing to build winning habits as a team.

“I like it. I like this group of guys,” said BickersTaff. “That’s why we do what we do as coaches. Spend a group of guys who understand what the team is. The boys who are willing to sacrifice themselves to be part of the team. And from the beginning of our time here so far, are all these guys.

“They gave me the opportunity to train them, tried to perform all the things we asked to do without rejection, without any fight. So my work revolves around them. And the fun I get is thanks to them – looking at them improve, looking at them compete. For me, it’s all about these guys. And this is where I find my joy.”

(Photo of Tim Hardaway Jr.: Rick Osentoski / Imagn images)